South African drivers don’t have the luxury of perfect roads. Between potholes that appear overnight, traffic lights that fail during load shedding and weather that changes without warning, the road can feel like an obstacle course. The upside? Navigating chaos daily may be quietly honing our driving skills.
If there were an Olympic sport for survival driving, South Africans would take gold. We dodge potholes that pop up overnight. We take on traffic lights that go dark after an outage. We know how to handle the taxi ahead as it hits breaks and hogs emergency lanes. And when the blue light brigade sweeps onto our highways, we know to get out the way fast.
Our roads can be rough, but they can also make us more resilient. An unpredictable environment calls for uncompromising skill, awareness and anticipation. And that’s how any good driver should be driving – hands on the wheel, hyper aware and on high alert at all times.
And as much as we moan about the state of our roads, it may make us better drivers. We learn not just to follow the rules of the road, but to read the road. The point is, we didn’t choose survival driving; it chose us, and we’re up for the challenge.
Typically, defensive driving means watching out for other drivers’ mistakes. Down south
it means navigating a network of obstacles and adjusting our driving behaviour, from slowing down for standing water to scanning the pavement for jaywalking pedestrians.
It’s defensive against the surrounding environment, and without being fully aware of it, we’re constantly recalibrating and responding to infrastructure, weather and circumstance. Because there’s a strangely positive upside to navigating chaos daily: it forces us to pay attention.
Psychologists call this situational awareness: the ability to constantly read and respond to your environment. And like any skill, the more you practise it, the stronger it gets.
In countries with perfectly demarcated highways and predictable traffic flow, driving can become comfortable and drivers can become complacent. But on South African roads, autopilot isn’t really an option. We’re called on to become ace drivers.
Good drivers think ahead but great drivers think five moves (or miles!) ahead. It’s about reading the road like a chessboard or master plan. You don’t wait to see what happens. You predict all possible outcomes and position yourself accordingly. On SA roads, that mindset can make all the difference.
Here are some chess-worthy tips to superlative survival driving:
The real secret is always allowing yourself room to respond, whatever the road situation. Because when you regularly deal with roadworks, detours and surface damage, you build the patience of a chess pro. You build problem-solving abilities. You build emotional intelligence in moments of intense frustration.
Just like a grandmaster, you reroute instead of panicking, you adjust instead of reacting impulsively. You remain calm when the road threatens to crack your composure.
Split-second decisions count and could be a matter of life or death when you’re in the fast lane. If a pothole appears, do you change lanes, brake suddenly or ease off and steer steadily? Sudden braking can cause rear-end collisions. Swerving without checking mirrors can do worse damage than the pothole itself.
That’s where advanced driving lessons could be a life-saving investment. Advanced driving courses teach:
And when it comes to night driving – think of the glare from headlights, poor visibility, pedestrians and animals – all the usual daily hazards are heightened, and that’s where simple habits can help:
Are advanced lessons essential for everyone? Nope, but for frequent commuters or long-distance drivers, they can sharpen your instincts and save your life. And they could also protect your car and prolong its life on the road.
While we want to celebrate our ‘special’ driving skills down south, let’s not romanticise the situation. Poor road conditions do increase risks like tyre damage, suspension and brake pad wear and tear, plus a greater chance of accidents.
The aim is not to celebrate bad roads. It’s to recognise that while we navigate them, we’re not helpless. While we can’t fix the road per se, we can prep our cars for it. And that starts with our tyres. They’re our car’s only contact with the road surface, so we need to keep them in peak condition at all times.
That means:
But it’s not just your tyres. Loose suspension components, worn shocks, poor alignment and unsecured undercarriage parts can all be worsened by rough road surfaces. Even something as simple as an already-fragile exhaust bracket can fail after a sudden, severe impact.
So make sure routine servicing is part of the plan. And having comprehensive cover in place can also help.
It’s highly likely we’ll all hit a pothole at some point, and if it’s a deep one, there could be real damage. So, here’s what to do if a crater creeps up on you:
Damage isn’t always immediate or visible. Cracked rims, misalignment or suspension strain may show up later. So, it might be worth taking your car in for an assessment.
If it turns out that there is substantial damage, and the cost of repairs is more than your excess, you may want to put in a claim. If the cost is minor and below your excess, paying out of pocket makes more sense. Whatever you decide, know your policy details so you can make the right decision and get your car back on the road.
Most comprehensive insurance policies cover accidental damage caused by road hazards – including potholes – but check for this, as it’s subject to your exact policy terms and your excess.
Your excess is the money you agree to pay out of pocket when you put in a claim. A higher excess can lower your monthly premiums dramatically, but it can also mean small repairs just aren’t worth claiming for as they’ll cost less than your excess. That means finding your own mechanic and getting it sorted, rather than working through your insurer.
Whatever excess you choose, it’s still worth investing in comprehensive car cover, because no matter how skilled you are – yes, all that time spent on iRacing, Gran Turismo 7, Dirt Rally, Forza Horizon and Ace Racer does pay off – you still need protection against the financial dents caused by driving on damaged roads.
South African drivers are born adaptive – we have to be. And Miway gets this. We build cover for the roads we actually drive on, not some hypothetical version of them.
Whether it’s cover for unintentional damage, 24/7 roadside help when your tyre doesn’t survive the commute, or a simple claims process, the goal is the same: to get you back on the road, ready for the next obstacle course.
Because while potholes may hone your skills, true confidence comes from knowing that you’re prepped and protected when that monster pothole finally eats your car.
